Mets unveil official 2013 All-Star Game logo

NEW YORK -- The 2013 All-Star Game has a date and a venue, and now it has a face. The Mets on Tuesday revealed the logo for the 2013 game at Citi Field, featuring their familiar blue and orange.

The logo has a decidedly retro feel, drawing heavily from the Mets' classic skyline logo. Set upon either a blue or white background, one version of the logo has the word "Mets" set in front of the skyline in traditional script. Another has "MLB" in block letters, while a third version features no words at all.

"The city of New York's been great in putting this together," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said at a press conference to reveal the logo. "It wouldn't happen without all those people coming together, working with us and awarding this game to Citi Field. I think to showcase this ballpark next year is going to be a big thing."

All three versions of the logo have the phrase "All-Star Game" spelled out in large orange letters below the skyline, with text in the same style as the interlocking "NY" on the Mets' traditional logo. The entire emblem is set before a white baseball with orange stitching.

The Mets also released smaller versions of the logo in blue and white, as well as secondary logos stretched out horizontally and smaller icons with no skyline logo.

"It's great to be a part of this celebration," Mets third baseman David Wright. "I can't think of a bigger or better baseball stage. It's great that we finally get an opportunity to showcase the beautiful complex, Citi Field, our home to the world. I can't think of a better place or a more historical city to have an All-Star Game."

The 2013 All-Star Game is scheduled for July 16 at Citi Field, marking the first time New York City has hosted the event since 2008 and the first time the Mets have hosted since 1964, their inaugural season at Shea Stadium. The Mets have had 109 All-Star selections in franchise history and brought seven of them to Tuesday's event: Wright, R.A. Dickey, Johan Santana, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden and John Franco.

Dozens of Mets officials were also on hand for last month's All-Star Game in Kansas City, taking tours of Kauffman Stadium in an effort to familiarize themselves with All-Star protocol. Though the game will not take place for another 11 months, preparing for it is more than a year-long endeavor.

Next year's event will be the ninth in New York City history, following two stops at the Polo Grounds, one at Ebbets Field, one at Shea and four at the old Yankee Stadium. The city's first deputy major, Patricia Harris, estimated that the game will bring more than 175,000 visitors to New York City and generate a $200-million economic impact.

"We have the greatest fans in the world, so it's only fitting that we host the game's greatest players," Harris said. "The game will not only raise the sports profile of our city, but it will help drive the economy."

Citi Field opened adjacent to Shea in 2009, encompassing 1.2 million total square feet and holding up to 41,922 fans at maximum capacity. It stands within steps of the Citi Field-Willets Point stop on the New York City subway's elevated No. 7 line.

In addition to the game, the Mets will host all of MLB's traditional All-Star events at Citi Field, including the State Farm Home Run Derby, the XM All-Star Futures Game and various community events, in what Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose called a "five-day celebration of baseball."

"By hosting the All-Star Game, New York City will be the center of the sports universe next summer," MLB's executive vice president of business Timothy Brosnan said. "We'll work closely with the city to make sure that the All-Star Game is not only a celebration for baseball fans, but that we leave a legacy behind that says that Major League Baseball, the New York Mets and the city of New York care about those in need."

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.